HILTON - 75% BONUS ON POINTS

It’s a good time to buy Hilton HHonors rewards points for your own account (you will need to click on “Buy Points”and log into your account to view the bonus offer).

Until October 5, 2015, enjoy these bonuses:

25% bonus on 10,000-29,000 points = 0.80 cents per point

50% bonus on 30,000-39,000 points = 0.67 cents per point

75% bonus on 40,000-80,000 points = 0.57 cents per point

You can purchase up to 80,000 HHonors points annually before any bonuses and if you purchase 80,000 points during this sale, you will receive an additional 60,000 points for a total of 140,000 points.

With a maximum bonus of 75% on the purchase of 40,000-80,000 points, the cost per point equates to 0.57 cents. The normal price to buy or gift points without a bonus is 1.0 cent per point - so it’s quite a good value, BUT it is still more than we believe Hilton HHonors points are worth.

As you know from prior TRVLVIP Perks and Tips, we believe the value of a HHonors point is 0.5 cents per point, which is the value we would be willing to pay for HHonors points if we could buy them for cash. It is also the minimum value we feel you should expect before redeeming your points. To see how TRVLVIP determines the value of a rewards point or mile, see our great Tip: What in The World are my Points and Miles Worth?

So you are essentially buying points during this sale for slightly more than what we believe they are worth.

Does a purchase make sense?

Maybe – we don’t suggest buying points speculatively, but rather advise you to purchase only with a specific award stay in mind.

Here is a quick calculation to help you decide:

Find an award stay

Determine the full price of that stay if you were to pay cash including all taxes and fees

Divide that amount by the number of HHonors points required for the award stay (for Points & Money award stays, subtract the cash outlay for the stay from the total in #2 before dividing by the points required)

If the value per point exceeds 0.57 cents (for purchases over 40,000 points), you’ve found a good deal and, if not, we suggest you don't buy the points

Purchased HHonors points do not count towards elite tier qualification and this bonus offer is only valid on points purchased for the member’s own account and not on points gifted to others.

The Wrap-Up:

It rarely makes sense to buy points until you’ve chosen a location, picked your dates and have taken the steps to ensure award availability. Make the small effort to crunch the numbers to ensure the point purchase makes good economic sense - you will be very happy you did!

A few months ago the bonus to buy HHonors points was 100%, which is the highest bonus Hilton offers. If you can wait, Hilton may bring back that offer.

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